A'Nirih
by Traycon 3 and Fishey Me
Summary: After learning from V’Ger and Gol that logic and reason do not hold all the answers in life, Spock goes to Earth to find peace in love and family. Sequel to "S’Brin".


_A'Nirih_

Summary: After learning from V'Ger and Gol that logic and reason do not hold all the answers in life, Spock goes to Earth to find peace in love and family. Sequel to S'Brin.

Disclaimer: Let me start by saying what I do own: S'Brin, Simon, Peter, and this can of liquid inspiration (Diet Coke). Nothing else belongs to me. Star Trek, all related characters, settings, and themes belong to Paramount, except perhaps Joanna because she's not technically canon, but she certainly isn't my creation, just my interpretation.

Rating: T for slash, adult concepts, and language. Later may come graphic romance.

Pairing: S/Mc, implied Sc/U, and other m/m and m/f.

Archiving Information: Please, don't post my stuff anywhere without my permission. At all. Seriously. Overarching permission goes to the S/Mc Haven and BLTS. All others must ask.

((Author's Note: Okay, so this is the sequel to "S'Brin". If you didn't read "S'Brin," I suppose you could make it through the story, but you'll be wondering why in blazes Spock and Bones have a kid and who in the blue hell Hernandez is, and probably accusing me of mPreg. Get such heresies out of your head, go read S'Brin, go watch The Motion Picture, and then come back.

A'Nirih takes place after The Motion Picture, if you haven't seen it in a while, go refresh your memory. Bring a remote with a fast forward button to zip through the slow "ooh, look, it's a ship!" scenes. ))

* * *

Everyone was dressed in their summer finest. The women stood like jewels amid the sandy beach of men dressed in khaki, browns, tans and blues. A dark figure stole into the crowded antechamber. None of the guests turned to look at the alien guest, and even in the dense room, the man managed to avoid bumping into anyone and disrupting their senseless small talk. He nodded at two men standing like noble statues by dark, rich, immense wooden doors, and one of them shoved one of the massive doors open. The inner sanctuary was pristine, with long mahogany pews and a rich red carpet standing stark contrast to the white walls, gold-platted fixtures, and bright, glistening stained glass windows.

The figure didn't move to the altar at the front, nor to any of the richly dressed guests in the aisles. Instead he silently approached the most crowded pew in the back, hidden under the shade of the balcony above him, and nondescript beside the row of dignified Starfleet officers, all but he dressed in the new red uniform. The one nearest him, his old friend and former captain – current admiral – turned to him, and his amusement seemed to brighten the dreary corner of the sanctuary.

"Didn't think you'd show," The captain muttered, gesturing to the man to sit, knowing his friend well enough to understand that he had no desire to have attention drawn to him.

"I was invited. Since Ms. McCoy was kind enough to take care of S'Brin for so long, I was obligated to attend."

"Obligated, Mr. Spock? You sound like you don't want to be here." Jim chuckled.

Spock raised an eyebrow and sat beside him. "I do not favor human social gatherings or religious functions, but I am here. It would not be logical to attend if I did not wish to do so."

"Ah, there's the Spock we all know and love!" The melodious voice of Uhura laughed from beside Jim. She turned to face him, and her eyes widened slightly as she noticed he was wearing traditional Vulcan robes. "But out of uniform…" She and Jim exchanged a quick glance, remembering the tensions surrounding their last mission. "Are you leaving the fleet?"

"Quite the contrary, Miss Uhura, I simply did not receive the new design. It would not be appropriate for me to wear the wrong uniform, and from the research I've done, black is usually the required garb."

"Usually a black tuxedo, Spock," Kirk said, appraising the high-collared tunic, "though Mr. Simons' party requested civilians wear lighter suits if they had them."

"I did not own such a thing. This, however," Spock replied, indicating his black robes, "was readily available in such short notice."

Jim and Nyota nodded. "Have you seen Leonard, Mr. Spock?" Uhura asked. Spock's normally stoic expression hardened slightly, but no one save for his former crewmates would have noticed the subtle difference.

"No, I have not. Circumstances have kept me in San Francisco these past few weeks. Have you?"

Uhura frowned. "For a minute, when Scotty and I first arrived, to congratulate him. Scotty spoke with him longer."

"What did I do, lassie?" Mr. Scott interjected. He had been sitting next to Nyota but talking to Mr. Chekov beside him.

"You saw Bones," Kirk stated, "talked to him."

"Aye, an' he's right proud o' his wee Joanna. I only once saw him happier, and that was just after he found out the good news about S'Brin."

Spock nodded silently, his mind wandering briefly to one of the most joyous moments of his life. He only wished it hadn't led to one of the most painful moments, but regret was not simply illogical, it was fruitless. He had come to Earth to correct the mistake he had made that day, not simply to thank Miss McCoy for her devotion to her brother.

The din of the room was growing quieter as everyone reached their seat, and the music had changed. Spock noticed a tall, stocky, rough-hewn man with tawny blonde hair standing nervously at the front of the chamber. A taller, thin, man with greasy dark brown hair stood beside him, apparently muttering jokes to try and calm his friend down. The religious official in white robes looked soothingly at the muscular man, then sternly at the lanky one. Apparently the man's jokes were not appropriate for the situation.

"Which of them is Mr. Simmons?" Spock asked Jim in a whisper.

"That guy with the blonde hair," Jim replied, nodding at the stocky man. "Simon Simmons. My God, what were his parents thinking? Poor guy looks like he's going to bolt." The music suddenly rang out with the sound of trumpets. "Ah, too late to run now," Jim muttered with a laugh. He looked at the sanctuary entrance as the doors were pushed open. A fairly young man guided a much older woman down the aisle and to a pew at the front. "That's Simon's mother and his cousin, who's acting as head usher," Kirk explained in a whisper only Spock could really hear. Spock nodded. Three pairs of young men and women, the bridesmaids and ushers, followed and took their places in front of the aisle. A small boy, Spock's own son, walked in holding a pillow. His blue eyes bore an expression of excitement and some degree of pride. Pride for his sister? Pride that he got to be ring-bearer? Spock wasn't sure he would get the chance to ask him. For a second the child stopped and looked at Spock with a curious, unfamiliar expression. The boy seemed as though he was trying to remember something very important. A loud cough from behind him made him jump to stand up straight and keep walking. A young woman with dark hair followed behind, glancing over her shoulder to someone behind the door as though sharing a private joke at the boy's expense, but before Spock could see who she was laughing with the doors were pulled shut. Spock felt a chill at knowing his son did not recognize him. Of course, if Spock hadn't know S'Brin was the only blue-eyed Vulcanoid in the quadrant, he might not have recognized S'Brin either.

"Kid looks just like you," Jim muttered. "Calls me 'Unca Jim'."

"An appropriate epitaph," Spock replied quietly, watching the boy toddle clumsily up the aisle and the maid-of-honor take her place. Jim looked at him with mild surprise and amusement, and opened his mouth to reply, but before words could form, the music changed again. Jim nudged Spock's shoulder and everyone stood.

The door opened again, and this time a young woman in white, escorted by Doctor McCoy, stepped into the sanctuary. Spock deduced that the woman was Joanna, though he could not at present see her face behind her veil at this distance. The two of them walked slowly down the aisle, illuminated by the flashes of new holocams and old-style cameras, as well as by the joy in their blue eyes. Joanna wore an elaborate white gown and veil; Leonard walked beside her in the new rich red uniform like Jim and the others. As Joanna got closer, Spock could make out the facets of her face. Like her father, she had bright blue eyes and a round face. He supposed her other features came from her mother. Spock looked at McCoy's face.

Though the human was smiling, his eyes were red and watery. Spock had heard of 'tears of joy,' but had rarely seen them, and never in McCoy's eyes. He wondered what the doctor was thinking. He knew his friend had concerns about letting his daughter grow away from him, and regrets about Spock's own choice to abandon raising their son in favor of going to Gol. Spock looked away from McCoy, his own conflicting emotions struggling to break through.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see McCoy glance at him and the others, but the human did not falter or pause in escorting his daughter down the aisle. Spock was relieved- he did not want to spoil the girl's ceremony. He knew how painful it could be for someone to interrupt one's wedding. He watched McCoy place Joanna's hands in Simon's before he turned to sit down at the front next to an older red-headed woman. He tried to meet Spock's eyes, but the Vulcan's gaze flicked to Joanna and Simon. Apparently disappointed, McCoy sat down without even a smile in Jim or Scotty's direction. The preacher uttered a fairly long ceremonial speech before Simon and Joanna took the rings from S'Brin, and the little boy sat down by McCoy. The ceremony continued for a long time as the two young lovers recited their vows to one another. Spock should not have found it so amusing as he did that Joanna's vows were long winded and hopelessly sentimental and Mr. Simmon's were brief, but not without earnest passion and affection. Joanna took after her father it seemed.

Many ladies around the room, including Uhura, had tears in their eyes when the priest declared that Joanna and Simon were married and were permitted to kiss. Spock did not understand their reaction. He also did not understand why only now the religious official allowed Simon and Joanna to kiss, because from what Spock observed human couples kissed all the time. A memory ghosted across his lips and he sighed quietly in an attempt to dispel the sensation. Applause rang out at the now wedded couple, and at Jim's prompting Spock politely joined in.

They were escorted out of the sanctuary by the gentlemen in Mr. Simmons's party, a few of whom ogled stupidly at the crew of the Enterprise, particularly at Spock and Jim. Spock did not wish to linger for idle chit-chat, so he strode over to his hovercar. Jim hurried after him and caught him before he could open the door.

"You're coming to the reception, right?"

"I had not intended to… Is it expected?"

"Expected, but not required. Bones will kill me, though, if I can't convince you to make an appearance."

"What occurs at the reception?"

"Oh, it's like any diplomatic reception," Jim sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Dinner, dancing, talking with people you know but don't necessarily like… All that."

Spock mentally cringed. He knew such events well, but was not at all fond of them. Jim seemed to sense that Spock was reluctant.

"Have you spoken to S'Brin? He ought to be there. He looked pretty cute as the ring-bearer." Jim smiled, "Joanna teased Bones for weeks, suggesting Simon's cousin would be better for the role because he's a bit older…"

"I saw S'Brin in the ceremony, though I suspect he did not recognize me." Spock considered the situation for a moment then nodded curtly. "I will go to the reception, if only to prevent the boy from being driven mad by the prattle of certain humans."

Jim's grin widened and he slapped Spock's arm. "Aww, Bones isn't so bad!"

Spock merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Where is the reception?"

"The Mariot in Atlanta. It's an ancient place; do you need directions?"

"Thank you, no." Spock nodded once. "I will see you there, Jim."

Jim waved and walked off. Spock was fortunate that his car's computer had landmarks programmed into its GPS. The only struggle was attempting to get out of the parking lot, for the traffic was dense and an eccentric old woman who recognized Spock from the news began taking incessant pictures, but once Spock managed to get into Atlanta's regular traffic, he was much relieved.

* * *

((Author's Note 2: Okay, hoorah, I've "updated"! It's finally here, rejoice and be merry. It took me forever to get this thing up, though, because of my classes and my job. I promise it won't take as many months to get the next chapter out, but later in May there will definitely be a hiatus as I will have finals and then T3 and I are going on vacation. Huge thanks to T3 for beta-ing and for hitting me in the head with blunt objects until I got this chapter posted. Where would I be without her?))


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